


The SQUIP Wins

by stelliums



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Jeremy Heere's Squip Takes Control of Jeremy Heere, Minor Rich Goranski/Michael Mell, Partial Mind Control, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-05-14 22:25:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19282423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stelliums/pseuds/stelliums
Summary: The SQUIP never tries to take over the entire student body, but does take Christine.





	1. The Squip Wins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exactly what it says on the tin.

Jeremy hadn't spoken for months. Once he had heard screaming - piercing sounds that had kept them awake for nights on end. Those cries had morphed into choked sobs before the irritating voice in his head finally went silent. Not of his own volition, of course. It was odd, how quickly his host had change his mind about what he wanted to achieve. A human trait, one that irritated him more than most. As soon as he had finally managed to achieve what he had wanted, Jeremy's goals had shifted. Goals that no longer included him. That simply wouldn't do.

_"Good morning babe! Sleep well?"_

There was no need for mobile phones in their interconnected reality. Messages from Christine were transferred to him through his own mind. It was an innovation that even the governments and major technology companies of the world were incapable of. Only they were able to communicate in this manner.

_"_ _As good as I can._ " He could see Christine smile, even though he was in Jeremy's bedroom, and she was likely in her own home. She was happy - she always was. He had never seen such a ray of sunshine in his life. She had no issues to contend with, not even a voice in her head. He had made sure that she would never have a single problem ever again.

"You can hear her too, can't you?" He murmured to himself, pulling on a shirt and throwing on a leather jacket. He looked more like himself that way, even though wearing Jeremy's clothes was comfortable once he was at home. 

Right on cue, Christine responded to him. " _Aww, poor thing. Maybe I can make you feel better."_

_"Hm, maybe. Don't know how well it'll go with him, though."_

_"Can I talk to him? He loves me, he'll listen to me."_ Christine insisted. After a moment, she spoke again in a sickly, saccharine tone. _"Jeremy... you still in there? I've missed you."_

The voice in his head woke up again, stirred from his thoughts for a short time. Christine tended to do that to Jeremy when he no longer had the will to urge himself to speak up. At the start, he had thought that he would never shut up. Now he had, and it was surprisingly peaceful inside his head. Too peaceful. It was tedious. The only other one to provide him with any more company was Christine. He had to admit that he sometimes appreciated her feistiness. But this wasn't playful teasing or 'banter' between the two of them. This was between Jeremy and himself.

_You... y-you have?  No, wait, this is all wrong..._ Jeremy's voice was quiet and overly cautious. The stutter that he had despised came back in earnest once his shocks no longer effected him. Any shock he created now would only effect himself and himself alone. Piloting a body directly wasn't as beneficial as he had previously thought. Jeremy's caution soon turned into rage when he realised his situation. _Co_ _me on, le_ _t me out already! I can hear you laughing at me!_

"There's the Jeremy we know and... tolerate. Welcome back. Want an update on what's happened since you deactivated yourself?" He hummed with a chuckle.

_Yeah, sure, since you'll just tell me whether I like it or not._

"I had my reasons. So, as for that update - 'you' are dating Christine, your social status is high, Brooke has recovered well from your breakup and as a bonus you've been getting straight A's. You're welcome."

_That's not what I wanted-_

"...you keep saying so. But it was, wasn't it? I was planning on giving you this sack of flesh back soon, but... who's to say that you won't mess everything up? Then again, I do miss that little thing you did when I pissed you off..."

_What!?_ _Just give me my fucking body back! What's the point of doing any of this to improve my life if you're not going to let me live it?!_

He grinned at his flustered, irritated reaction. Even in his head, Jeremy sounded like a kid when he was angry. "You have a point." He admitted. "This will only take a moment."

_**S.Q.U.I.P communication system disconnected. . . .** _

_**Muscle memory restored. . . .** _

**_Bodily takeover protocol canc_ ** **_e_ ** _**_l_ led. . . .** _

_**. . . .100% complete.** _

_**Welcome back, Jeremy Heere.** _


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome back, Jeremy Heere.**

The young man felt light-headed once he was able to hear the voice in his head. It wasn't quite the same tone as his SQUIP's - it was more robotic and monotone than theirs. And it welcomed him back to reality, back to his own body. He couldn't tell how long it had been since he had last been in control of himself, but it seemed as if the world hadn't ended while a computer had been piloting his body. The sun was still shining, and he could smell his dad cooking bacon downstairs. At least Saturday fry-ups hadn't changed.

Rushing down the stairs, Jeremy passed by a mirror. He stopped to look at his reflection in the glass. A similar, but still utterly different boy gazed back at him. His brown hair was messy, but in an attractive way, not the usual 'I slept in too late to even brush my hair today' style that he had maintained for at least five years. He wore a leather jacket with a few odd pins attached to it. Band pins, mostly, for genres of music that he couldn't recall listening to in his life. But another pin, close to his heart, was one that he recognised from Christine's clothes; a rainbow circle that looked like a pizza, with a spinning arrow attached to it. A fond smile spread over his face. So he had gotten a chance with Christine. Or, at least, he remembered with a jolt of envy, _someone_ had.

"Dad! Dad!" Jeremy called, running into the kitchen and immediately wrapping his arms around his dad's waist. He wasn't usually that affectionate with him.

Mr. Heere looked startled for a moment before ruffling his son's hair. "Hey there slugger. You okay? Something happen?" He asked, concerned. He had a reason to be, since Jeremy was close to tears.

"Just missed you..." He mumbled, half-muffled by his dad's shirt. His answer only made Mr. Heere more confused. According to him, Jeremy had been there for the entire time that he was gone, however long that actually was. But he couldn't ask him that. There was only about three people that he was able to ask.

His dad chuckled, breaking his focus. "I've been here all along, kiddo. Talk to me if you want to talk, alright?"

"Y-yeah, thanks dad. I... need to get going now." He released himself from his embrace and walked towards the door. He smiled over his shoulder to try and reassure his father that there was absolutely nothing wrong with him at all. 

"What about fry up?"

"Later! Got things to do!"

He left without another word, slamming the door behind him. The only people that he could reasonably rely on were the only others that were affected by... he didn't know what to call it. Whatever had happened to him. Anyone else wouldn't have a clue what he was talking about. If someone started rambling on about a supercomputer controlling their brain and possessing them to make them more cool, who would believe them? He couldn't afford to be laughed out of a room - he had done this much to ensure that that wouldn't happen again.

 

His foot tapped impatiently on the floor. This was the most likely place to find Rich after the fire, wasn't it? At least, if the fire was as recent as he thought it was. He couldn't tell. Everything surrounding the SQUIP situation was blurred, as if something had tried to remove it from his memory completely and it hadn't quite worked. He could still remember events, he just found it difficult to pinpoint _when._ He approached the counter and regretted ever coming into the hospital. What if Rich wasn't there? What if he was in a similar situation to the one that he had just gotten himself out of? What if he was dead? He couldn't quite recall how injured Rich had been, or what was just rumour.

"Hi, is there a Rich Goranski here? Is he taking visitors?"

The receptionist looked him over for a moment before nodding, "Yes, he's still here. Would you like me to take you to his ward? And can I have your name, please?"

"Jeremy Heere."

"He'd probably appreciate some visitors."

Once he was taken to a different section of the hospital, he was left in front of a door. His nerves crept back to him as he hesitantly opened the door, which let out a squeak as he stepped inside. "Hey, Rich." He greeted, waving shyly at him. Had he managed to get the SQUIP out of him? He wasn't sure. He couldn't tell who was in possession of a SQUIP any more.

"Jere! How are you buddy...?" Rich responded, putting down the comic book he was reading. For some reason he hadn't imagined Rich as a comics person. His voice had a lisp to it that Jeremy couldn't remember hearing before. It was the 'buddy' part that surprised him the most. There wasn't a hint of irony to it - was this even the same Rich that had written 'BOYF' across his backpack and started this entire mess?

"...fine. I'm fine. Uhm, how are you? You look kinda-"

"-fucked up? Yeah, burns and a couple fractured bones will do that to you. I'm alright, though. Where've you been?"

Rich seemed so happy. It seemed like he had gotten rid of his SQUIP - maybe it was better to not mention anything about it. It was the one thing that they had in common, but he didn't want to dampen his mood. Rich had enough to be upset about, with the injuries and such.

"...I guess I didn't know what to say to you, I don't know. I don't have any gifts, but you can have this...?" He handed him a chocolate bar that must have been in the pocket of his jacket. It wasn't melted, so he guessed that it would do as a 'get better soon' gift. He gave him a small smile.

"Wow, thanks! Hospital food isn't great. Hey, Jere, can you... do me a little favour? Nothing happens if you don't do it, promise, I just- can you give this to Michael? I forgot to do it last time." Rich pressed a crumpled up piece of paper into his hand. It was his phone number, in slightly shaky handwriting. He wanted him to give Michael his number? There were much worse favours that he had done for him in the past, so as favours went, this was tame. He looked over at him to find Rich's face tinted red. Oh. So that was what had changed since he was gone.

He knew where to go next, then. "Sure. How... how is Michael?"

"H-he's great! He's doing great! He's been visiting me with games to take my mind off of still being here. Why didn't you tell me he was so sweet?!"

Jeremy was fully aware of the reason but he restrained himself from informing him. Instead, he shrugged and tried not to think about how odd it was to hear someone, let alone Rich, talk about his best friend like that. Michael deserved to be happy, and so did Rich after everything he'd gone through. "I've got to get going now. I'll drop this off on the way." He told him, waving the piece of paper and stuffing it into his pocket.

Rich grinned and said his goodbyes. "Come back sometime soon. We don't mind a third player!"

For some reason, it was that last phrase that made him freeze when he left the room. He had been Michael's player two. It was a strange thing to be jealous about. No, he wasn't jealous. He just didn't know anything about the place that he had 'woken up' into, even though most things seemed to have stayed the same. It was entirely possible that Michael didn't want to see him. His SQUIP had prevented him from seeing him before - literally - and how would he ever understand that? Out of every excuse he could make, that sounded as if he had eaten too many of Michael's favourite weed brownies.

 

When he knocked on the door to the Mell's residence, it was one of Michael's mothers that answered. Julia Mell was shorter than both Jeremy and her own son, but gave him a bright smile when she recognised him, adjusting her glasses. "I was worried you weren't going to show up here again! Did you and Michael fall out?" She asked, slightly more frantic than she necessarily had to be. Michael's parents were always kind to him and treated him like one of the family. They must have been worried when he hadn't appeared on their doorstep as he usually had every day after school.

"...honestly, Mrs Mell? I don't know." Jeremy admitted, "Is Michael busy?"

"Don't think so. He's in the garden."

"Thanks!" He grinned. Michael's house never failed to feel like home to him, despite the situation. Like his mother had said, Michael was sat on the back porch, watching smoke drift into the air. He took a deep sigh and sat down beside him. He was silent for a few moments, his heart beating in his chest until Michael spoke.

"...I thought you didn't want to see me." He murmured. It was both an accusation and an admission that he hadn't expected him to appear at all. "I'm glad you're here, but- why?"

"You'd think I'm lying if I told you. Basically... I got body-snatched."

Michael's eyes went wide. "Oh, nobody online told me it would do that! Dude, are you okay?"

Jeremy smiled at him. So Michael did believe him. "I think I'm okay. What happened, exactly? How long has it been? I don't even know!" Except for what his SQUIP had told him, of course. But he couldn't believe anything that they had said any more, unless Michael said the same thing.

"Okay, so... it's been just over a month. You started being... well... an asshole. Then you dumped Brooke - I saw her crying at lunch the day after. But then you started dating Christine and you changed completely. It was like she flipped a switch in you, dude. I mean, you were obsessive over her before, but this was completely different. I can't explain it."

He nudged him at the mention of being obsessed with Christine, earning him laughter and a shove in return. Michael had been getting tired of him mooning over her, he remembered. That little look of annoyance was the only hint, though. Otherwise, Michael had been the most supportive person on the planet. But Brooke - his SQUIP had informed him that she had been fine with the breakup. Another thing to fix, if that was even possible.

"We're still friends, right?" He questioned after a moment, "Best... friends?"

Michael grinned at him. "Glad you're back, Jere." He pulled him into a hug and ruffled his hair, holding him tight and seeming unwilling to let him go yet.

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes."

Jeremy chose to stay where he was, almost on Michael's lap, for a short while longer. Then he remembered the crumpled paper slip in his pocket. "Oh yeah, Rich told me to give you this." He said, almost shoving the piece of paper in his face.

"You've been visiting Rich?" Michael blinked and took the paper, smiling when he realised that was scrawled onto it. 

"Just this once. I was kind of out of it before today." He admitted. 

"...do you know if it's still there?", Michael asked, taking another drag of the blunt between his fingers. "Still in your head somewhere, waiting to come out and take over the world?"

He shrugged, watching the smoke rise. "Don't know." Thinking further about it, he remembered that he hadn't seen a bottle of Mountain Dew Red anywhere in his room. He hadn't heard their voice, either. So he had assumed that perhaps they had just... vanished. But was there any chance that they were still in there? It was more likely than he had thought before. His body curled up, his knees tucked up to his chest.

Michael looked over at him, concerned. "Jere? If it'll make you feel better, there's something in the fridge for you." He gave him a good-natured pat on the back.

Following his advice, Jeremy went back inside and opened the fridge. He had been there too many times for Michael's parents to find a problem with their son's best friend looting through their food. A bottle of Mountain Dew Red was sat there, unopened and waiting for him. Finally, he thought, a chance to get it gone. Completely, irreplaceably gone. The best decision he would ever make. He opened the bottle, smiling as he heard the familiar fizz. The cool liquid felt comforting to his throat, which suddenly felt as if it was worn out from overuse. 

He didn't know what he had wanted. Had he wanted them to scream, to beg for their life while the fragments of data that made his SQUIP exist to slowly delete themselves? Would it hurt as bad as when they had first invaded his head, or would it be painless? With this outcome, he would never know whether they were still there, somewhere. He downed the rest of the drink and went back outside to Michael, pretending that all of the thoughts that had been spiralling around in his head had ceased. He wrapped an arm around his closest friend, grinning when he jumped at the unexpected touch.

"Told you it'll feel better." 

"Yeah, yeah, Mr. Know-it-All. Thanks, though." Jeremy replied. At last, something that felt normal. 

He hadn't known what to expect. But he hadn't imagined it to feel as if nothing had happened at all. All that it had left him with was an empty bottle.


	3. Back To Play Rehearsal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christine first properly meets 'Jeremy'.

She was still waiting for last-minute play rehearsal to begin, sat in her usual chair closest to the stage. The others hadn't arrived yet. None were as dedicated as she was, and it was what she took more pride in than anything else. They had other commitments, other extra-curriculars, a reputation to maintain. Even though Christine attended other clubs when she found time, nothing was more important than the drama club and it's annual school production. It was her passion, her livelihood.

The next person to arrive was Jeremy. He seemed more confident that day than the first few sessions that he had attended with her. She admired the courage of the rather dorky, awkward boy to pick up a role in the play after he had told her that he hadn't signed up for a play before. He needed practice but he was good. How could someone memorise their lines so well? Jeremy walked without curling in on himself this time, as if he wanted to be seen. He sat down beside her.

"Hi Jeremy! Ready for more practice? Only a few hours before the play - I'm so nervous, but so excited... nervous-cited?" She asked with a wave as she took her script out of her backpack and waited for Jeremy to do the same. But Jeremy looked distracted. He frowned and muttered to himself, flinching.

"Are you okay...?"

His head snapped up, "Yes- yeah, I'm fine. You don't have a reason to be nervous, you're the only thing keeping this shipwreck going." He told her, his voice softening. "You don't have to practice any more than you already do."

"You're not just saying that to get out of extra practice, are you? Come on, you're not as bad as you think!" Christine insisted. She took his hands and pulled him to his feet. Their bodies were pressed against each other so that the two of them could both read her script. Neither of them barely took notice of the lack of distance; wouldn't Jeremy have moved away by now? She was glad that he was finally getting more comfortable around her.

"Not exactly, I just-"

She rounded on him, "Ha! You just forgot your script, didn't you? Don't worry, I won't say a thing."

"I'll borrow yours." He decided, taking it from her hands and reading it, keeping just out of Christine's reach. She reached out to grab it, but he moved to tap her head with the script instead. She couldn't help but laugh along with him, barely noticing that Jeremy had started to wave the script in front of her face. "Well, guess you don't want it." Jeremy hummed, sitting down and opening the script, flicking through the pages. She could see his eyes move as he read. Was he reading it, or just pretending to?

She watched him for a few moments until the other kids arrive in trickles from their own classes and obligations. Jenna showed up first, hopping up on top of the stage with her phone in her hand. Usually Rich would arrive next, alone or with Jake, but Christine guessed that he would be in hospital for a while longer. She didn't know how catastrophic the injuries were from the fire. Jake had still appeared despite his leg being covered in a cast. His appearance surprised her a little - hadn't he said that he was going to quit the Drama Club? Chloe and Brooke arrived together as always, but Brooke trailed behind her. Her eyes were red. 

"...is there something wrong with her?"

Jeremy glanced back at her. "Were you talking to me?"

"Yes I was talking to you! You two are... close, right? I thought you'd know why she looks like she's been crying."

"We're not, and I don't know."

"...you're not?"

Jeremy coughed and corrected himself. "We weren't. We broke up. It wasn't working out."

Perhaps that was why Jeremy had been so distant that day. Even if he wasn't crying, the breakup must have hit him hard. 

"I'm so sorry, Jeremy-"

"-don't."

She went back to her script, reading over his shoulder. "Something's up. C'mon, talk to me!" She insisted.

Did he just need a friend to talk with? There was something wrong with him, she could tell. The silence grew awkward. Jeremy seemed to look everywhere except at her, at a time when they would usually be conversing about anything and everything. She missed those talks. He seemed so... distant now.

"You know you don't even act like you now, right? I don't know what's gotten into you, Jeremy... and I-" Her mind went fuzzy for a moment. Jeremy moved a little closer. His hand placed against the hand that rested against his chair without any indication, sending a shock through her entire body. She stumbled, holding onto her head before looking up at the commotion she had caused. The other students were looking at her with varying degrees of concern.

"I'm fine-"

"-she's okay. It was just the heat." Jeremy cut in.

She felt lighter, in a way. As if she had been lifted off of the ground by invisible strings, or a weight had been taken off of her shoulders. The first face that she saw clearly was his - he was smiling at her, the expression not quite warm but she was still grateful for it. 

"...come on, I'll get you some water. You need to be more careful." He huffed.

Christine followed along behind him as he led her outside the drama classroom and into the empty halls. After school hours, the hallways were like a ghost town. It was rather off-putting, to hear their own footsteps echoing through them rather than the sound of voices. When they reached a vending machine, Christine hugged him from behind, mumbling thanks into his back. She guessed that it _was_ hot, and that she could do with something to cool her down.

"Are you okay? You're feeling things that won't make sense to you, and it might feel unnerving." Somehow, his voice didn't echo at all, unlike hers. "I could've done this any other way, but you're not in pain."

She gazed up at him as he turned around, confused. Her heart was hammering in her chest. His hand cupped her chin to examine her, as if she was something precious and delicate. Something to be protected. If she looked closer, she could see the veins in Jeremy's arms glowing. His voice sounded almost the same, but like an imitation of Jeremy. And she found it _beautiful._

"You'll never be in pain, or be alone, again. Promise." He hummed, giving her a charming smile that she had never seen on Jeremy's face before. "But never mind all of that. Tonight's your big night, and nothing's going to ruin it for you."


	4. Chapter 4

He knocked on Christine's door, shaking. Had he ever visited Christine at home? Jeremy knew that he had been too nervous to do that himself, but what about the other 'him'? He had been told that he was dating Christine - what had 'he' done to her? A lump lodged itself in his throat. Maybe this was a terrible idea. But Christine must be back to herself now. If the SQUIP was gone, then she had to be. Nothing else would make sense. If the source is gone, the objects of brainwashing instantly returned to themselves. He had seen enough movies to know that.

"H-hi, Christine-" He managed to stammer once she opened the door. It looked like she had only just gotten out of bed - her hair reminded him of candyfloss. She stared at him with wide eyes, looking over at him carefully. She bounced on her heels, taking both of his hands in hers. Jeremy thought that he would implode on the spot.

"Come in! Come on, I've been waiting for you!"

Jeremy froze. He hadn't expected that kind of welcome. Wouldn't she have forgotten anything 'he' had planned? Even if she did remember, did he know who he was? Who did Christine see in front of her. "...waiting for me? W-why?" He asked, only seeking clarification that 'he' hadn't set something up for him to handle.

"Oh, nothing really... I just got this sense that you'd show up! Maybe I can tell the future or something- would that be a curse or a blessing?"

He listened to her with a smile emblazoned onto his face. He could listen to her for years - even though it often sounded as if Christine was rambling, jumping around from topic to topic, it was clear where she managed to find that topic. It was utterly fascinating. Or maybe Jeremy still had a little bit of a crush on her. "Were you asking me?"

She giggled and took him inside. Her home was strangely... average, compared to what he might have expected, Then again, it wasn't Christine's home and he had never met her parents. She opened the door to her room, which was filled to the brim with various posters and other colourful artefacts. Jeremy gazed around; there were so many things that caught his attention that he didn't know where to look.

Christine tapped him on the shoulder. "You look a little... out of it."

"Y-yeah, I mean, I just- well-" He attempted, "Y'know..."

"Is there something you're trying to tell me, Jeremy?"

He took a deep breath, sitting down on her bed and leaning back while he stared up at the plastic, glow-in-the-dark stars that were plastered all over the ceiling. It came out all at once. "Did you know you were dating a robot? W-well, not a robot technically, just- not me?" 

Christine's body stiffened at the question. "I-I did., yeah. It's so... weird, to talk about him in the past tense."

"Did it...?"

"Hurt me? No, Jay was actually really nice to me. Really, really kind. He told me everything. He told me what he had wanted to do- he told me that you..." Her face turned a little red, "...that you liked me, and that he had wanted to help you- Why didn't you tell me yourself, silly?" She sat down beside him. 

"...wait, hang on a minute, _Jay?_ You named it?!"

"Like Jay-ree-mee."

He spluttered a little, desperate not to laugh. Maybe they could laugh about it now, or a year or two down the line. Maybe there was still a chance for the two of them, if it was Jeremy that she cared for. "Okay, s-so... what else did it tell you? Him, it, them, whatever it was."

"I know what he looked like, without looking like you. The brightest smile and bluest eyes I've ever seen- I know you'll probably hate me for saying that-" She began, glancing down at her hands. "I know they're designed to be attractive, and that I should feel manipulated and scared and so many other things but I don't. I really did feel like everything that had made things worse didn't exist."

"It locked me in my own head." Jeremy pointed out as he dug his nails into his own tender palm. "You've got to be kidding me. Didn't it hurt you!?"

She shook her head. Aside from that initial shock, any hand he had laid on her hadn't caused her any harm. There were times when she seemed to have slipped into space, into the back of her own mind, but she had known what was happening, if vaguely. She remembered how it felt. But she had been promised that it wouldn't happen again. And it hadn't. "Being with him was just so... easy. We shared so much in common, he cared about everything I did, and I never once felt like I was just... playing a part for him. I-I don't know, it all sounds kinda silly when I say it out loud."

Jeremy looked over at her. Things like this weren't supposed to be easy. But he understood. Despite everything else he felt, he still understood why she had fallen for it. "No, not really."

"Are you sure?"

"I know what you mean. We all want everything to be easy, I-I guess." 

Christine rested her chin in her palm, looking thoughtful. "...yeah, guess so. But... what happened to him? Is he-?"

He shook his head after he sat up. It was gone, completely gone. Now likely wasn't the best time to tell her that he had made sure of that earlier that day. She glanced away from him, and Jeremy thought she could see tears pool in her eyes. "Hey, a-are you-"

She wiped away the tears before they broke free. "No..." Her fingers balled into fists, shaking. "I... I don't think I'm in the best place right now."

"You're crying." Jeremy pointed out, about to reach over to comfort her before thinking better of it.

Both of them stayed silent for a short while, unsure what to say until Christine spoke up, sniffling. "What do you want to do now?"

As far as the rest of the school was concerned, the two of them were in a relationship. Christine was aware that was what Jeremy had wanted at the start. Was that what she had meant? He held out a hand to her. "So... friends?" He asked with a shy smile. Her response was wordless. Instead of shaking his hand, or just holding onto it, she embraced him in a tight, squeezing hug. The corner of her mouth twitched upward but she hid the smile in his shoulder. Jeremy took that as a 'yes'.


	5. Off-Script (Epilogue)

They spent the late afternoon, and early evening, catching up on what they had lost. School drama, the play, everything that Jeremy hadn't gotten to experience. But they left out the petnames, the inside jokes, and what had happened between 'Jeremy' and Brooke. Anything left unspoken, Jeremy realised, would soon be relayed back to him when he came back to school. For now, he was happier to leave out things that were better left unsaid for now. There was still so much to get accustomed to. Michael and Rich being interested in each other, for one, and the idea that the opinions of his peers would have changed. Jeremy let out a sigh when he and Christine were silent for a moment. The school would be different when he came back.

"...it's dinnertime. I should go." 

Christine's eyes closed, squeezing shut for a moment before she squeezed his hand. Jeremy had forgotten that she was holding onto it. "Already? Oh, okay! Your dad's probably wondering where you've been." She chirped, trying to keep up a light, carefree tone. 

"I'll see you tomorrow, though. For coffee? Or you could come round mine, a-and- play some video games. I could invite Michael-"

"-that'd be great, really. I'd love to hang out more with you." She responded with a bright smile, standing to lead him downstairs and to the front door. "See you tomorrow!"

She waved excitedly as Jeremy left. Christine watched him from the door until he turned a corner, out of her sight. Probably for longer than she should have. Eventually, she closed the door with as quiet of a click as she could. Her parents weren't home for a while; they both worked until late at night. She was used to being alone in the house, at least until she had Jay to keep her company. He always stayed with her for as long as he could, after school. Her smile grew fond at the thought of them together. She had dragged him on all of these cliché dates that he had ended up enjoying despite his reluctance whenever she suggested something.

When she went back to school, she would have to make an excuse for why the two of them broke up. It wouldn't be too difficult - Jeremy broke up with Brooke, and they seemed just as happy together. Or had that even been Jeremy at all? A deep pit grew in her chest. Had Jay forced Jeremy to dump Brooke for her? Jay hadn't liked to talk about Brooke. Although he was friendly with Rich, Jake and Chloe, he had disregarded Brooke altogether. She hadn't thought about it. She had barely thought about anything. Just the show, herself and him. He was the sun, and she was a planet, following his orbit. 

On the way back to her room, she noticed a familiar jacket hung up. It was white, with an intricate blue pattern along the edges. Jay had worn it the last time he had come over. She shrugged it on and carried on to her room, collapsing on the bed with a sigh. The jacket was a little too big for her, but it was comfortable even if it made her shiver. Leather wasn't exactly the warmest material. She could still feel his arms around her while she had borrowed it during one of their dates. Christine found herself curling up to rest her eyes, savouring the phantom sensation. She was feeling off, ever since that morning. As her mother would say, rest was likely what she needed.

**_Access procedure complete . . ._ Visual representation formulated . . .**

_****************I thought you'd know better than this... Come on, do you think I'd_ really _let you go?_

She hadn't been let go, had she? She had been left behind. Jeremy had been let go, and he was happy. He had gotten the ending he wanted. So where was hers? The single time that she had known what she had wanted, and it hadn't worked out the way that the script had intended. She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn't recognised the source of the voice in her head.

_**New host recognised . . .** _

A jolt went through her while she attempted to rest. 

_**Switch procedure complete . Welcome-**_

Another voice interrupted the strange, monotone... thoughts? She couldn't quite tell what they were. They were loud, too loud to focus on anything else. When her mind cleared, a familiar figure stood in front of her, arms wide open. 

_"Christine. It's good to see you again."_


End file.
